England debut nets Cook's grandad windfall

(Reuters) - Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook made his grandfather 17,000 pounds richer on Tuesday after making his England debut in the 1-1 draw against Italy.

Four years ago, Trevor Burlingham staked a 500-pound wager with UK bookmaker William Hill at the odds of 33/1 that his 18-year-old grandson would win a senior England cap before his 26th birthday.

Only a few months after leading the England under-20 team to the World Cup title, Cook was drafted into the senior squad for the first time against Brazil last November but did not play.

Cook finally got his chance when he replaced Jesse Lingard after 71 minutes at Wembley on Tuesday in England’s final friendly before manager Gareth Southgate names his provisional squad for the World Cup in Russia.

William Hill said it was their biggest payout of this type since handing out 125,000 pounds to Peter Edwards when his grandson Harry Wilson made his Wales debut in 2013.

Edwards had wagered 50 pounds at the odds of 2,500/1 when Wilson was just a toddler.